33 weeks

Baby is now over 4 pounds and over 17" long (according to babycenter.com) It is fun to finally feel excited and to anticipate the birth. We have cleaned the car seat and the next item will be the bouncy seat. I will probably pack my bag this week and start washing the baby clothes. I've been reviewing my birth class info and trying to start incorporating those exercises. I'd like to start walking, just a little, as my body permits. So, I walked around the cul du sac yesterday with Joshua going very slowly. He didn't really like how slowly we went and I sent him out with Jason later to ride his bike. He's too fast on that thing for me right now! We are working on little projects around the house that will 'hopefully' be finished before baby arrives but we'll see. Baby continues to be a little gymnast. I think he rolled over the other day! Joshua has been asking about the baby more recently and when he/she will arrive. I love his interest and can't wait to see how he likes his new sibling.

New Clothes

We picked out little outfits for Baby 2 and they came today. One is a little fleece jumper and jacket that fits up to 7 lbs the other is a striped sweater jumper with hood that fits newborn. Little clothes are so cute!

Dr. Appointment

We saw the dr. this morning for our two week checkup. Since I hadn't gained any weight last time, I gained 6 pounds this time! I guess my body prefers to gain in chunks or...maybe it was the Christmas cookies :-) Baby is measuring 32 weeks which is right on. The baby's heart rate was 133 and everything otherwise looked good.

At 34 weeks (1 wk and 3 days from now), I am to stop taking the medication and then at 35 weeks I am free to go hog wild! Well, sort of. I am off bed rest at that point. Yippee!

32 weeks!

Two more weeks of bed rest and then I am FREE!! OK, so I still need to take it easy and I don't think I will be allowed to drive but the worry that I may spontaneously go into labor and this would be a bad thing will be removed. I dreamed last night that I was spotting again. I tried to get a hold of the dr's but again I couldn't reach anyone or get to where I needed to be.

I am feeling pretty good body-wise. I am still having pretty strong contractions in the evening/night and I imagine that these will only pick up as I progress. I try to do most of my activity in the morning and then lay down and take it easy-ish for the rest of the day. Things do not feel very tight yet and I think this baby is lower because I don't feel like I have feet stuck in my ribs yet but then again, I still have almost two months of pregnancy left. Can you believe that? I can't and at the same time I can't believe that we are going to have another baby in less than two months. Doesn't seem possible, even after all of this. We are talking baby names again and I think we might be getting close...maybe :-)

Dreams

I remember vivid dreams in my third trimester with Joshua. Well I had two last night and they were so upsetting! In the first, the baby's arms had come out first. We got to a clinic, not a hospital and the dr examined me and told me I was having a girl and then left. I was so worried about the baby but no one was doing anything. My whole family was there watching and saying things that upset me. I went to look for someone to help and found Joshua's pediatrician. She said we needed to have the baby so I went back to the room and they set out the equipment to give me an epidural. But no one would tell me what was going on. I told them I didn't want the epidural and no one would listen so I left again but I was just so worried about the baby. It was really upsetting.

After I woke up and fell back to sleep I dreamt that my water broke. Everyone was dilly dallying taking me to the hospital and I was trying to find clothes to wear and nothing was working. I woke up again and just decided to get up. No need to risk having another dream!

Migraine

Seems I narrowly missed a migraine today. I woke up and had an 'aura' that made it seem like the peripheral vision in my right eye was not working. I laid down until mom got here and then took at 2.5 hour nap. Seems I was able to avoid the actual headache part. Weird. Must be pregnancy hormones.

31 weeks

Three more weeks until the dr gives us the 'all clear' signal. It is good to know that we will have Christmas and New Year's to keep us occupied in that time. Jason is going to be home for about two weeks starting next Friday.

We don't need much but I went ahead and registered at Target Baby (they were giving out gift cards if you registered) It was fun shopping for the baby and thinking about his/her arrival in a positive way. Now we need to start thinking about some of the other preparations that we have just been putting off: birth plan, arrangements for the big moment, packing the bag, washing clothes, car seats, etc. I am looking forward to those activities.

Dr. Appointment

We visited the dr again today for our two week check-up. I haven't gained any weight but the baby is getting bigger. So my total weight gain thus far is 18 pounds. Blood pressure was good and baby's heart rate was 134, must have been sleeping :-)

An exam showed no change in my cervix so the partial bed rest seems to be ok. The dr. said I can slowly add a little activity at a time. It was reassuring to know that nothing has changed since my contractions had been stronger and I had been feeling more pressure on my cervix.

We are almost two months from my actual due date and we have three weeks and two days until I can move around without worrying. Making progress.

Partial Bedrest

Well...again Jason seems to know best. He didn't think that that I would be able to go from full bed rest to partial bed rest without my contractions starting up again considering that in the past when I would get up and move around they would pick up. So, the morning seems like a good time but as the day progresses if I am up and moving then the contractions start coming. I lay down but I have noticed they are stronger now and there is more pressure on my cervix. So, things to discuss with the dr. But my hopes for being able to care for me and Joshua while Jason is a work are not so high now. Mom will be here until Wednesday afternoon again Jason works Thursday and Friday but maybe I can find someone to help for a couple of hours.

30 weeks

Well... we made it over 5 weeks now on bed rest. Today, I get to move around a bit more and see how things go. I have laid down for my morning rest of 2 hours and was a bit achy but not too bad. I probably had 1-2 contractions while I was up getting breakfast. Mornings tend to be rather quiet anyway.

Baby is probably over three pounds now, which is a big improvement from when we started at 24 weeks 5 days.

November was preemie awareness month. Good timing, eh? There was an article in 'American Baby' magazine that I just read that said, 'Most premature births result from spontaneous preterm labor; in nearly 40 percent of these cases, doctors cannot determine the cause.' So, to answer questions that I have been asked a lot, No, the preterm labor is not from chasing Joshua, flying to Vegas or anything else that I may or may not have done. It just happened.

Hopefully, the day will continue to go well. Mom will be here this afternoon. Amy came with her family to help yesterday as well as Carie. Chris was here on Friday and took Joshua to see Santa.

29 weeks

It is hard to believe we have been at this bed rest thing for a month now but the time is moving along. One more week until we can try for a little more movement. I can't wait! Jason is busy at school work and Mom is out for the beginning of the week again. We have coverage for most of the rest of the week. He also has just over a week until classes are over. But, this is crunch time and he is swamped.

Baby is now about 3 pounds and growing nicely. We are looking forward to Christmas preparations and family time that we will have in the next couple of weeks.

Looking Ahead

So, we had another dr. appointment today. The baby is doing well, measuring 27 weeks with a heart rate of 140. I weighed in at 130, so in spite of the fact that I didn't gain anything at my last appointment I gained 7 lbs in the last 3 weeks. I guess that is what bed rest will do for you (not to mention the cookies, candy and other treats people have been brining)!

Speaking of bed rest, I am to continue on full bed rest until 30 weeks, Dec 9. At that time I will be allowed to get up for limited activities. I will still need to lay down 3 x a day for 2 hours at a time and anytime that the contractions pick up. No driving and no picking Josh up. I can ride in the car if my symptoms do not change. I can also increase my medication if my contractions pick up. It is nice to have a plan and know what is coming. They are just trying to keep the baby inside for as long as possible.

My cervix is soft but has not dilated so that is good. The dr was pleased that I am finding bed rest miserable. He says that is a good sign that I am sticking to the regimen. So, for another 10 days we still need a lot of help with child care but maybe we can decrease the assistance to one person a day at 30 weeks. Jason will be finished with school then anyway and will be able to take over when he gets home from work.

28 weeks

Thanksgiving was very nice. It was great to get out of the house but the car ride was not very enjoyable. Just uncomfortable to ride in the for so long. They set me up at a tv tray on the couch so I could still enjoy all the conversation and hoopla at the dinner table and I even had a little flower on my table.

Today, I had the glucose tolerance test (1 hour, non-fasting) and some other bloodwork done. I'll see the dr. on Thursday and those results should be in by then. I am really looking forward to that appointment.

I think my contractions have really tapered off so I hope that will be what the dr. needs to hear to move me to partial bed rest.

Baby should be about 2.5 pounds now and putting on lots of baby fat. He/she can open and close his eyes. We have been talking about baby names again. Just had to go back to the beginning and start over since we were having no luck before. I think we have a few viable options. We'll see what sticks!

Happy Thanksgiving!

87 days to go! Just one week until I see the dr. again. We are going to my folks house for Thanksgiving dinner after Joshua wakes up from his nap. I am planning to camp out on their couch in the living room. Joshua is so excited. I told him we were going to Memaw's house today and he ran over to Daddy and said, 'Daddy, we are going to MEMAW's!' He has grown very close to her over the last several weeks. It is really nice to see.

Baby continues to be very active and the contractions continue to be calm as long as I stay laying down. We are still talking about boy baby names and haven't come up with anything yet. Jason is convinced this is a boy baby but it would be much easier if it were a girl because that name we are sure of! Guess we better keep talking about it.



Picture from 26 weeks.

89 days to go until delivery date

Tired and frustrated. Seemed like a long day. Joshie was keyed up for a lot of it. Jason was stuck in traffic that took him 4.5 hours to get to class, the normal time is 1 hour. There was a terrible accident that closed I95 going both ways. But it is time for bed now and Jason should be home soon....

27 weeks!

Well, we've made it to 27 weeks the start of the third trimester. Yippee! Only 3 more weeks until the chance for partial bed rest. I'm counting the days. I can't believe it has only been two weeks since we started all of this....

Baby is now just over 2 lbs and about 14.5 inches long.

"During pregnancy week 27 your baby's internal organs and systems continue to grow, mature and develop. Most noticeably, around pregnancy 27 weeks your baby's eyelids will open. Up until this point in time they were fused together. Around pregnancy week 27 and 28 they finally open. During this time the retina of the eye also starts maturing, allowing your baby's eyes to finally receive light and translate images."

Link

My friend, Donna, directed me to this website

http://www.sidelines.org/frequent-questions/

It has a lot of good information on bedrest and preterm labor.

Day 12

We have two weeks today until we see the dr again. Things remain quiet as long as I stay laying down. Taking the medication every 5 hours seems to be working and I don't feel like I am taking it constantly now. We are working out the child care situation and even found that there is a daycare on base that Jason can take Joshua to on an as needed basis. We found an person to do house cleaning and will see how that goes tomorrow. Mom continues to be an enormous help cooking, cleaning, caring of Josh, me and Jason. We are also relying on friends and neighbors and church members for meals and care of Joshua during the day. "It takes a village..." has new meaning now.

Day 10

Today, I was a bit more crampy again. Maybe I got up a few too many times. Joshua was particularly challenging on a day that we needed him to be very calm. I think that is just how it works :-) Nothing more that 2-3 contractions in a stretch but we had several very quiet days in a row.

26 weeks

We are at 26 weeks today! Yippee! Baby is probably just under 2 pounds and about 14 inches long. Baby is very busy and loves to do baby-nastics as I call them. We should video them sometime because you can really see my belly bounce!

Things are pretty settled right now. I did have a couple of stronger contractions today, just to remind me that I need to keep doing what I am doing bed rest wise. Jason has been fantastic. In spite of his insane workload for homework, he has been grocery shopping, putting laundry in, taking care of Joshua and me, preparing meals, cleaning up around the house. I am really truly appreciative of him and his dedication to us AND his schoolwork and his work. I know it is really hard on him right now.

Day 8

Well, we are through a week and things are settling into a routine. Aside from the disappointment of having to stay on the couch for the next 4 weeks, there is some reassurance in knowing that I know what I am doing for time being and can plan accordingly.

Jason was home yesterday, Alex came over to play with Joshua in the afternoon and Carie came by for dinner. It was a pretty low key day and the contractions were minimal as well.

Doctor Appointment

We just got home from the drs. He checked my cervix and nothing has changed which is a very, very good thing. But, since the contractions have also not changed we are keeping with the same plan of full bed rest and medication. He will see me again in 3 weeks as long as things stay the way they are. At 30 weeks he may change to a partial bed rest as long as the contractions stay the way they are now. So we have 4 weeks to that point. He did give me permission to ride in the car (not drive) so we should be fine for getting to mom's house for Thanksgiving, which is a relief.

Day 6

Busy day! Mom was here until 9:30 this morning getting Joshua up and dressed, making breakfast and dinner (crockpot) and just taking care of things. Sonja, our neighbor, came by at 9:15 am to watch Joshua and took him outside to play which he really needed this morning. He was wired. He must have known something was different about today. Then Kim & Ellie came by at 11:00 to play and have lunch. Kim put Joshua down for his nap at 12:30 or so and he did great. He has been sleeping since then. Jason will be home soon and I am looking forward to getting out of the house. Although, I am a bit nervous about the dr's appt. Just don't know what he is going to say or do. I am sure it will be fine. I am not hoping that he will take me off of bedrest, I just don't think that is in the cards right now but I'd rather he not admit me. I feel like we are doing ok managing at home and I hope he will let me continue to do so. I'll be taking a bag just in case. I'll make another post after the appt to fill in the details.

Day 5

I continue to have contractions on a off, some stronger than others. They worry me when they come harder and closer to together and just when I think they are tapering off, like last night, I'll get another round. I have been having a lower back ache which I will discuss with the dr. tomorrow among my other symptoms. Jason is going to take off for that appointment.

Josh is getting into the new mommy routine. Waking up is still a problem but he has adapted to everything else. He brings me things and helps me back to the couch. It is really sweet. He keeps me busy entertaining him from my perch. I really haven't had a chance to be bored yet. I guess that is good.

So today is a relatively good day.

Day 4

Today, is starting out better. I was able to get some sleep last night. I made sure to wake up every 4 hours to take the medication so it never wore off. Plus, I guess my body is getting used to the meds because my heart is not pounding so much after taking it. Lastly, I am finding it helpful to have music playing to help me relax and sleep.

The contractions are sticking to 1-3 an hour. I don't have a set appointment but I may call around lunch time to schedule for tomorrow. I am not quite sure the protocol since I have been talking to the dr but not necessarily the dr's office and he just wanted to see me between now and Thursday. I think he wanted to stretch it to Thursday if possible to give things the most time to settle before putting me in the car again.

Baby is doing well and continuing to kick and play around inside. I am a bit sore, abdominal and back aches but that is about all.

Spoke to the Dr.

My dr called me this morning at 8:30, I was waiting for the office to open to call. He was able to answer a lot of the questions I had and I am feeling more reassured about the plan now. He did not want me to come in today. He rathered that I wait and stick to the strict bed rest to help things settle, especially after last night. The car ride would not be helpful unless absolutely necessary. So I will see him sometime between Tuesday and Thursday, no set appointment but if anything changes (ie bleeding, 4-6 contractions an hour, water break, etc) I am to go directly to the hospital. It is hard knowing what is a 'sign' and what is not and when to go in etc. So far I have had good experiences with getting a hold of a dr when I need to to ask my questions and that is reassuring.

The outpouring of love, prayers and support from family and friends has been tremendous. To all who are reading, calling and helping in any way, THANK YOU!

Day 3

Hum...we had a bit of a rough night. As the medicine was wearing off that I am taking to relax my uterus I had about 6 fairly strong contractions in one hour and then another 4 the next. I called the on call dr after the first 6, she said to come in if I had 4 contractions in the next hour but I fell asleep after that. The medicine keeps me from sleeping for about an hour and a half after taking it and makes my heart pound. So it is a little challenging to relax in that time.

I am waiting anxiously to get a hold of my dr today and to get in to see him. I was feeling like the medicine wasn't doing much but I guess after last night I realize that is not true. I'd rather not end up in the hospital but the primary goal is to keep the baby inside so I will do what I need to.

I am finding that I worry most about the baby at night. Things are just harder to deal with at night I guess and I worry about Joshie in the morning. He is doing great but there is just no way to explain this or any other changes that might happen soon. While I am busy during the day I can almost believe that nothing much is wrong and I am just hanging out on the couch.

Day 2 of Bedrest

We got through yesterday. I spent the day on the couch going upstairs only to shower and then sleep. We went to the hospital last night for my 2nd steroid shot. It was quick and less painful than the first one. That butt cheek doesn't seem to hurt as much today as the other one did either.

I am back down parked on the couch again today. I got a bit of sleep last night so I feel a little more normal and ready to work on getting into a routine. When Jason gets moving I'll have him take me back up to get dressed and bring a few toiletries down here to have accessible. We'll work on getting a little area set up so I can do bills, use my computer and answer the phone.

Joshua is playing here in the living room with me. He is having a bit of hard time understanding why mommy didn't get him up this morning, why I can't get up to play and help him with potty but he is trooper and will get through it. I imagine a few days with memaw here and he will start getting used to the new way of things.

I am anxiously waiting for Monday and getting to see my OB to answer my laundry list of questions not the least of which is how long I will need to remain on full bedrest. It is hard to go from my very, very active lifestyle to one where all my activities are centered around this lovely plaid couch that I am laying on right now.

Trip to the Hospital

Well... if I had written to you yesterday I would have told you that the pregnancy was going great, I was feeling great and life could not have been better. Unfortunately, I started spotting last night and went to the hospital to have it checked out. The short end of the story is that I am experiencing pre-term labor. I will be 25 weeks tomorrow so they have put me on full bedrest and medication to stop my contractions. They used the term, 'irritated uterus' to describe what is happening with my uterus and the contractions. It should be calm at this stage and it is in a constant state of little fluctuations with normal contractions coming and going periodically. They gave me the steroids last night to mature the baby's lungs, 'just in case'. I have to get a second shot tonight at midnight. I also had my rhogam shot because of the spotting. I have an appointment on Monday to followup with my regular dr.

We are so thankful that the baby is doing very well and is healthy and that there are no problems with the placenta. So, this may mean a very slow next 15 weeks as they are only wanting me to get up to go to the bathroom and nothing else. But, if it means a healthy baby in the end I would do anything in the universe.

Third Trimester Here I come!

It is hard to believe that the time is passing so quickly now. It may slow down again after the holidays but right now things seem to be on hyperspeed. The baby is moving all the time now. Really doing a lot of gymnastics. I get mixed impressions, some people say I am bigger than last time, some say smaller. My guess is that I am about the same :-) Ma Beam gave me a belly reading last night and said that her guess is 'girl'. So we will see. It is fun to speculate. The hormones and Josh seem to be driving me bonkers right now. I find that I have a very short fuse these days. I don't want to :-(

Signs

I am starting to show signs that I am pregnant. My belly is noticeable if I wear maternity clothes. The fashionable empire waist tops of late make it really stick out. I am trying to pick Joshua up less because at the end of the day my back has been hurting. Also, busy days, like yesterday with Jason and Joshie's birthday party, wear my body out. Thank goodness Josh took a 3 hour nap today because I did, too!! I needed it! I can feel my belly when I am sitting down and looking at my pregnancy book I only have a couple more weeks of my 2nd trimester left! How odd! It doesn't seem possible. The end of Februrary still seems so far off but then we are getting close to November. I guess I have about 4 months to go.

21.5 week check up

I had a dr. appointment on Thursday afternoon. Joshua went in with me this time. He did well. The baby's heartrate was 144 and was measuring right on for his/her age. Dr. says that everything looks great! All the ultrasound tests came back normal so that is good, too. Next appt we schedule the gestational diabetes test, oooh my favorite!

Another highlight is that I gained 9 lbs.... THIS MONTH! I am so happy since last month I hadn't gained anything. So, I am up to 11 lbs total weight gain and exactly the same weight I was with Joshua at this time. Isn't that funny? I fell great almost all the time, I have been snacking and eating well. Milk intake seems to be critical and on days that I don't get enough, I know it. My body just aches. So I watch to make sure I have 3-4 servings a day now, plus bananas :-) Life is good.

Just chuggin' along

more than half way through now! Yippee! Baby has been moving a lot these days. He/she kicks my bladder regularly. That is lots of fun :-) I have been feeling great and have to remember sometimes that I am pregnant. So much focus is on everything else that it is easy to forget!

Ultrasound

We went in for our 18-20 week ultrasound today. It was first thing in the morning at my neighbor's facility. We had a blast! The technician was able to get some fun images which we will be posting soon and the measurements all look good. She said the baby is measuring about 19 weeks 2 days. I will be 19 weeks on Sunday so that is pretty close! In true to our family form, the little booger decided to be stuborn stay rolled up in a tight little ball. Despite all my efforts, I couldn't get the baby to open up so we could see his or her little face but we did see the baby opening his/her mouth and hands and kicking.

Just to taunt everyone, the technician was able to see the gender but as with Joshua we chose not to find out ourselves :-) So it is probably written in our chart somewhere :-) You'll just have to wait!!!

Lots of movements

Baby #2 was doing gymnastics last night. It was great though because Daddy was finally able to feel himher.

updates

The endocrinologist said I'll my thyroid levels look fine and that is not an issue. He also wasn't too concerned about the lack of weight gain citing my rocky first trimester. I have started to show some. It seems to have corresponded with me drinking more milk. I was really achy last week and asked my two doctors both what they thought the issue was, both agreed on low calcium and low potassium. So I started eating half a banana a day and aiming for 3-4 glasses of milk or yogurt. The combination has cleared up the problem and I think helped to add the extra calories I have been needing. So all is well. The little bambino is moving around a lot these days. I think sometimes she/he has the hiccups, too. Looking forward to the ultra sound at the end of this month.

Appointment on Thursday

It went well. The baby's heartrate is 146 putting him/her around average and close to what I remeber Joshua's to be at that time. I looked up research online to see the correlation between heartrate and gender and found that there is none. A study done concluded that the average for females = 149.26, males = 149.38, no significant difference. Otherwise the baby seems to be doing just fine. I need to gain more weight though and I will be talking to the endocrinologist about this topic.

A funny thing...

So I am mostly feeling better now. I survive on days without naps and am quickly forgetting the all day/all night ick feeling I had just few short weeks ago but today I did throw up for the first time with this pregnancy. Ironic, isn't it?

I have an appointment on Thursday and I am looking forward to it. I love hearing the baby's heartbeat. I am guessing the dr. will talk about scheduling an ultrasound then since it usually happens in the 18-20 week range and that is coming soon! We are going to my neighbor's facility this time so she can give us the royal treatment and I am looking forward to that, too!

15 weeks

The baby is 4 inches long (crown to rump) and weighs about 2.5 oz. :-) I felt the baby move on Friday night and last night. I have to be laying still to feel it. I love the sensation. It is one more sign that everything is progressing as it should be. I have been feeling much better recently although I still need to make sure I am getting food at the right time and resting it is not keeping me from doing the things I normally do. I have even been able to clean the house and cook dinner. Miracle of all miracles!

Improvements

Yes, I can say that I am not feeling as bad as I was before so that is a relief. I don't HAVE to have a nap daily and can stay awake past 7pm. Also a relief :-) So the end of my first trimester has come and we are now in the second trimester which is great. I can feel my uterus now when I touch my abdomen. It is getting harder and bigger so it seems things are moving along. I have pulled out some maternity clothes for comfort sake. They are all way to big but I can't stand anything around my belly and don't want to buy new clothes for a month or two of in-between.

Check up

I got to hear the baby's heartbeat on Monday. It was wonderful. The dr. said we had a 50/50 chance of hearing it, that the baby had to be in just the right position. I guess baby was! I love that sound. Everything else looked fine and they gave me some ideas for helping with morning sickness although it has been easing a bit the past couple of days. Thank goodness!

10 weeks

Still lots of ups and downs. Saturday morning I felt great. Really better than I have felt in a long time and then I ate two eggs and spent the next two hours on the couch feeling worse than I have in a long time. Ugh. 12 weeks can't come soon enough!!

I have my 2nd dr. appointment tomorrow and I am looking forward to it. Mom is going to meet me there to keep an eye on Joshua and then I think we are going to go shopping afterwards.

The baby is now considered a fetus and most of the critical development has occurred. This is fantastic! I think I can feel the top of my uterus now. It should become more pronounced and I may even feel movement over the next few weeks as the baby will go from just 1 inch now to 3 inches in the next three weeks. Wow!

Another Good Day!

Yesterday was a reasonable good day! Wahoo!! I ate every hour on the hour but I was able to actually get the house partially cleaned, Joshua and I went to storytime and we watched Yanna and Val afterwards. We had our naps, ran to the store and made dinner. I couldn't have done that Monday but yesterday it seemed to work! So hopefully, today, will be a good day, too. I have to go to work so eating is harder but most of my clients are understanding.

9 weeks

Today starts my 9th week. Just 3 more to go before this morning sickness is over. It is really a minute by minute situation. The weather seems to affect it, even if I am in the ac. Yesterday was horrible but I think I got a bit dehydrated and that added to it. Today was so-so. Not so good in the morning but after I got enough food in me I felt a bit better.

I am finding I can eat food that I don't prepare (that's a challenge) so we have been eating out a lot and eating freezer type meals. :-( Not ideal.

I think by next week I should start being able to feel my uterus. The baby is already 1 inch big and has most of he important internal workings. I have another dr. appointment then and I am looking forward to that. I can't believe it has been a month since the last one.

The house seems to be falling apart around me but as Kimberly says, "You are knitting a life together." So, I guess it can wait. There seems to be no time to anything at all. But we are doing what is important: spending time as a family, taking naps, eating dinner together.

A Good Day...

Well, I have learned the secret to not being sick the ENTIRE day. I fell asleep last night at 7:30pm and slept until 5:30. It was wonderful. I still had my bouts of nausea throughout the day but they were managable this time if I ate something right away and I was able to get a few things done. I went for a walk in the morning and my mom and Dylan came over to help later in the morning. The weather was cooler today, too. Not humid and I think that also helped. So I am planning an 8:00pm bedtime tonight. I just need to get one more snack in me before sleep. I woke up at midnight last night and was starving but didn't want to get out of bed so hopefully this will pre-empt that hunger strike.

To the beach...

We had a lovely trip to the beach last week on Thursday and Friday. It was nice to just pack up and get away. Saturday was Ellie's birthday party. The morning (all day) sickness continues to be miserable. It is making work and everything else very difficult to complete. I am counting the days until the end of this trimester (july 29) that is about 3 weeks.

Cravings

I learned some very disturbing information yesterday... McDonalds does not sell french fries before lunchtime. What kind of craziness is that? And no, I don't want something else!

I didn't really have any cravings with Joshua but I have wanted some unusual (for me) foods with this one. Eating still seems to be a problem. I hope that it eases in the next trimester (a month from now) ugh.

excellent..

If there's any good news about morning sickness, this may be it. Women who experience nausea and vomiting during pregnancy may have a lower risk of breast cancer later in life, according to new research.

7 weeks

"Your baby still appears to have a small tail (actually, it's an extension of his tailbone), which will disappear in the next few weeks. But that's the only thing getting smaller. Now almost half an inch long — roughly the size of a raspberry — he has elbow joints and distinct, slightly webbed fingers and toes. In his oversized head, both hemispheres of his brain are developing. His teeth and the inside of his mouth are forming, and his ears continue to develop. Eyelid folds partially cover his tiny peepers, which already have some color, and the tip of that nose you'll be tweaking someday is emerging. His skin is paper-thin and his veins are clearly visible.

Your little one also has an appendix and a pancreas, which will eventually produce the hormone insulin to aid in digestion. His liver is busy producing red blood cells, and a loop of your baby's growing intestines is bulging into his umbilical cord, which now has distinct blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from his tiny body. You can't feel his gyrations yet, but your baby is like a little jumping bean, moving in fits and starts around his watery home."

The rest of the description goes on to say that 'You're in the throes of the first trimester....' Oh so true. Today sucked. It didn't help that the reunion was yesterday and Jason and I were up until 2am. The morning sickness is all day. I am so tired and nothing is appetizing. The peak is around dinner time making dinner making almost impossible. I just hope that they end of this does come at 12 weeks. I don't remember it being quite this awful with Joshua but then again, whenever I was tired with him, I slept.

6 weeks

I have been feeling better since my big oops on Tuesday last week. I just need to stay out of the heat and make sure I am nibbling. I heard that women who have morning sickness are less likely to miscarry so I am happy to have the sickness if it means that the baby is healthy.

Here is what is going on this week:
Your baby's heart is growing, and dividing into the right and left chambers. But the most exciting part is that her tiny heart is now beating (at a speedy 100 to 130 beats a minute) and pumping blood throughout her body. The cells that will make up all of your baby's body parts and systems are dividing furiously as her body begins to take shape. Right now she's about the size of a small lentil bean (4 to 5 millimeters across). She's starting to build muscle fibers, and halfway through this week, she'll likely start moving her tiny limbs.

maybe not morning sickness...

Today was absolutely atrocious. I actually had thoughts of, 'why did we do this!!', which is horrible. And wondered how I could get through the next 2 months. I went for a walk in the morning and then to story time with Joshua, Ellie and Kimberly. I think that was it. It was hot and I may have been more affected than I realized at the time. I got a drink at the end of the walk but it probably wasn't enough. I gave Joshua a snack when we got home but I don't think I ate anything myself. So my tummy got empty and I was probably having a touch of heat exhaustion. I slept with Joshua for two hours had a bit of food and felt a little better after that but then returned to supreme nausea and chills. When I realized what was going on this evening, I made an effort to keep eating little bits of food and move slowly to get things done. Seems to have worked. I am not nearly as sick feeling. I can deal with this amount of nausea. So off to bed and hopes that I can sleep tonight.

All night nausea

With Joshua I had all day nausea, I don't remember it starting very early but it was worse in the morning and sporadic throughout the day. This time, ugh, I spent all night last night tossing and turning and feeling like I was going to throw up. I was sick in the evening time too I just had expected some reprieve at night.

I had my first blood workup yesterday morning. They took about 10 viles and then advised me to sit in the waiting room a while so that I wouldn't pass out when I left. I had brought an energy bar and water with me so I ate that, sat for 20 min and left.

Just two more months of this :-) It is nice to know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I love being pregnant but I don't like anyone would deny these first three months are hard.

35 days down...

Well, we are now working on baby number 2 :-). I found out I was pregnant by taking a pregnancy test on Friday, June 8 at 5:30am. I had to get up that morning to put the cat in the basement and go to the bathroom so I figured I would try. I hadn't yet missed my period so I figured I needed to catch my first morning pee. Let me tell you, reading the directions on that test at 5:30am is not an easy task!! It was positive and I woke Jason to show him. He of course couldn't read the test but he was just as thrilled as I was.

We told our Grandma first and then our families on Friday, June 15 after seeing the OB. Although we went to the same practice, I saw a different dr this time and I like her a lot. I hope to get to spend more time with her. She is pregnant as well and due in October so I am not sure how available she will be. My due date is Februrary 17th. So, we still have a long way to go. My weight on Friday was the same as it was at my first appointment with Joshua so I thought that was neat. Everything else looks good and healthy.

I haven't had too much morning sickness just yet. A little nausea here and there but I am already tired. Ugh! I have been going to bed early and taking naps when I can. That is about it for now.

Happy Father's Day!